An international manhunt came to an end Monday after authorities in Honduras arrested a 27-year-old Telford man wanted in the stabbing death of his girlfriend, Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan announced.
Honduran agents with the Technical Agency for Criminal Investigation (ATIC), working alongside the FBI, took Darwin David Espinal-Del Cid into custody early Monday morning in Pespire, Honduras.
Espinal-Del Cid is being held in Tegucigalpa while awaiting extradition to Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He faces charges of criminal homicide, possession of an instrument of crime, theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, and abuse of a corpse.
“The tragic loss of a young woman on the threshold of her adult life is another sobering reminder of the often lethal nature of domestic violence,” Khan said. “Our hearts break for Maria’s family and loved ones. Distance will not offer refuge to those who commit acts of violence in our community, and we remain relentless in our pursuit of justice for Maria.”
The victim, 23-year-old Maria Bernarda Popol Garcia, moved to the United States from Guatemala and worked as a server at a Latin American restaurant and grocery store in Telford.
The case came to light on March 13, 2026, when relatives contacted the Palisades Park Police Department in New Jersey to report that they had not heard from Popol Garcia in a week. Family members told officers she lived with Espinal-Del Cid at an apartment located at 139 N. Main Street in Telford Borough.
Telford police initially checked the residence that day but got no response. When officers returned the following day, they searched the apartment and discovered Popol Garcia’s body hidden in a bedroom closet, wrapped in a blanket and covered with clothing.
An autopsy determined she died from injuries inflicted by an edged cutting weapon. Investigators allege Espinal-Del Cid slashed her throat, hid her body in the closet, and stole her Android phone and $400 in cash before leaving the scene.
According to investigators, Popol Garcia had recently decided to leave Espinal-Del Cid. On March 6, she informed a coworker that she was relocating and started moving her personal belongings to a new apartment. Neighbors reported hearing a loud argument coming from the home during the early morning hours of March 7, marking the last time she was known to be alive. She would have turned 23 the day before police discovered her body.
Authorities said that after the killing, Espinal-Del Cid posed as Popol Garcia through text messages to make people believe she was still alive. He then bought a one-way plane ticket and boarded a flight to Honduras on March 9.
The arrest involved cooperation among several agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the Philadelphia Police Department, and local police departments in Telford, Hilltown, Marlborough, Lower Salford, Souderton, Franconia, and Upper Gwynedd.
READ: Cruise Cabin Confrontation In Florida Ends In Felony Charges For Ohio Couple
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
